Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions

Kapec, Daniel; Lysov, Vyacheslav; Strominger, Andrew

doi:10.4310/ATMP.2017.v21.n7.a6

Title: Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions

Abstract

In this work, we consider the scattering of massless particles coupled to an abelian gauge field in 2n-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Weinberg’s soft photon theorem is recast asWard identities for infinitely many new nontrivial symmetries of the massless QED S-matrix, with one such identity arising for each propagation direction of the soft photon. These symmetries are identified as large gauge transformations with angle-dependent gauge parameters that are constant along the null generators of null infinity. Almost all of the symmetries are spontaneously broken in the standard vacuum and the soft photons are the corresponding Goldstone bosons. In conclusion, our result establishes a relationship between soft theorems and asymptotic symmetry groups in any even dimension.

Authors:

Kapec, Daniel ^[1]; Lysov, Vyacheslav ^[2]; Strominger, Andrew ^[1]

Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

Publication Date:: Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017

Research Org.:: California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)

OSTI Identifier:: 1598899

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0011632; FG02-91ER40654

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 21; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1095-0761

Publisher:: International Press

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS

Citation Formats


                    Kapec, Daniel, Lysov, Vyacheslav, and Strominger, Andrew. Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
Web.  doi:10.4310/ATMP.2017.v21.n7.a6.

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                    Kapec, Daniel, Lysov, Vyacheslav, & Strominger, Andrew. Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.4310/ATMP.2017.v21.n7.a6

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                    Kapec, Daniel, Lysov, Vyacheslav, and Strominger, Andrew. Sun .  
"Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.4310/ATMP.2017.v21.n7.a6.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1598899.

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@article{osti_1598899,

  title        = {Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions},

  author       = {Kapec, Daniel and Lysov, Vyacheslav and Strominger, Andrew},

  abstractNote = {In this work, we consider the scattering of massless particles coupled to an abelian gauge field in 2n-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Weinberg’s soft photon theorem is recast asWard identities for infinitely many new nontrivial symmetries of the massless QED S-matrix, with one such identity arising for each propagation direction of the soft photon. These symmetries are identified as large gauge transformations with angle-dependent gauge parameters that are constant along the null generators of null infinity. Almost all of the symmetries are spontaneously broken in the standard vacuum and the soft photons are the corresponding Goldstone bosons. In conclusion, our result establishes a relationship between soft theorems and asymptotic symmetry groups in any even dimension.},

  doi          = {10.4310/ATMP.2017.v21.n7.a6},

  journal      = {Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics},

  number       = 7,

  volume       = 21,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017},

  month        = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017}

}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

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Title: Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions

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